Toy runways



Nov. 27, 1962 A. EINFALT 3,065,713

TOY RUNWAYS Filed Feb. 28, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MMMH MHM'MHM HMMD United States Patent 3,065,713 TOY RUNWAYS Alfred Einfalt, Nuremberg, Germany, assignor to Gebruder Eintalt Blechspielwarenfabrik, Nuremberg,

Germany, a firm Filed Feb. 28, 1961, Ser. No. 92,194 Claims priority, application Germany Jan. 5, 1961 Claims. (Cl. 10467) The invention relates to a toy runway which is constructed as a mountain railway and provided with places where toy vehicles are stopped and released and/ or their direction of travel is changed.

According to the invention it is proposed that in such a toy runway, a run-in track leads into a known ascending track with a rack or cog section running up a mountain and descending tracks leading in zig-zag into a valley, the last of these descending tracks terminating in the run-in track. A toy runway built in this manner comprises a closed track so that the vehicles running thereon travel alternately uphill and down hill as long as their momentum provides the necessary power. In order to prolong these travelling movements and thereby increase the interest in the toy, the toy runway is preferably so constructed that a toy vehicle running thereon is only driven along the ascending rack or cog track sections. The vehicle runs over the remaining track section by its intrinsic moment of inertia and the acceleration imparted to it by gravity as itruns down the descending track sections.

Consequently the run-in track, on which the vehicles are preferably placed one behind the other when starting to use the toy, is inclined toward the lowermost portion of the ascending track section.

This ascending rack or cog track section extending from the run-in track is preferably curved or arched and at its highest point merges into a descending curved portion.

The descending tracks of the toy runway, with the exception of the run-in and run-out end section, are preferably each composed of a relatively long descending section and a short ascending section, constructed as reversing point. These descending tracks are preferably arranged in terraces.

To produce another effect in the sequence of movements of the toy vehicles it is advantageous to provide stopping places for the vehicles at least at the reversing points. These stopping places can be covered in and constructed on the outer side to represent a station or garage.

The stopping device by which the vehicles are brought to a standstill can again be disengaged by a vehicle pass ing into a reversing point. By this novel arrangement according to the invention, the vehicles running on the toy track can always be kept at a sufliciently great distance apart and can run at different speeds, a surprising effect being also obtained when one of the vehicles on a descending track suddenly stops and then continues its travel without any apparent external influence.

The run-in and run-out track, which is forked, is hinged to the housing carrying the ascending and descending track sections. As a result the advantage is derived that, when the toy is not in use, it can be considerably reduced in size. This measure is also advantageous for transporting.

Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings in which an embodiment of the invention is shown diagrammatically and by way of example.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the toy runway according to the invention;

FIG. 2 a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 a cross-section on line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 a section on line IVIV of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 5 a section on line V--V of FIG. 1, while FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a stopping device,

FIG. 6 being a section taken on line VIVI of FIG. 2, with the device in operative position, and

FIG. 7 a similar view to FIG. 6 with the device in disengaged or inoperative position.

The toy runway according to the invention includes a run-in track 1 carried on a plate 2 and a housing 3 on the upper side of which, ascending track section 4 and descending track sections 5, 6 and 7 are stamped in relief. The last descending track 7 terminates in a connecting or run-out section 8 leading into the run-in track 1 on the plate 2.

The plate 2 carrying the run-in track 1 and the connecting track 8 is joined to the housing 3 by means of a hinge 9. The plate 2 can therefore be folded into the housing 3 in the direction of the arrow x, for transporting the toy runway and when it is not in use, so that the space the runway requires is considerably reduced.

The plate 2 is provided at its free end with a support 10 so that it is inclined towards the housing 3 with the result that a vehicle placed on the run-in track 1 at reversing point 11 will run to the ascending track section 4 under the action of gravity.

The ascending track 4, see particularly FIG. 1, is arched or curved. At its end it passes into a descending curved portion 12 which leads into the first reversing point 13 which connects the ascending portion 14 of the track 4 with the descending track 5.

The tracks 5 and 6 each consist of a longer descending portion designated by 15 and 16 respectively and a shorter ascending portion designated by 17 and 18 respectively. In addition to the reversing point 13, reversing points 19 and 20 are provided at the ends of the sections 5 and 6. The reversing point 19 connects the track section 17 with the track section 16 and the reversing point 20 connects the track section 18 with the track 7. The direction of travel of the vehicle running on the toy runway is reversed at the reversing points 13, 19 and 20 and at the end 11 of the run-in track 1. To ensure w that no disturbances occur while the vehicles are running and that they reliably change over from one track to the next following track, deflecting cams 21 are arranged in the track at the branch points.

The track sections conducting a vehicle from the rack or cog ascending track 4 back to the run-in track are preferably arranged in the form of terraces.

In order to heighten the interest in the toy, a stopping place can be provided for the vehicles at one of the reversing points. In the example illustrated this stopping place is arranged at the reversing point 20. A vehicle arriving at this reversing point 20 is stopped by the stopping device consisting of a two-armed lever 22 in that one arm 23 of this lever engages behind a cam 25 arranged on the top of the vehicle 24.

The two-armed lever is pivoted on the underside of the housing 3 so that it is out of sight. Its centre of gravity is displaced from the bearing point 26 towards the lever arm 23 so that this arm 23 is always in its lowered position. The other arm 27 of the two-armed lever 22 projects into track preferably extending above the stopping place. When a vehicle passes through the reversing point 13 it depresses the lever arm 27 with the result that the other arm 23 of the two-armed lever 22 is swung upwards thereby releasing the vehicle 24 hitherto held at the reversing point 20 so that it can continue its travel.

I claim: 1. A toy runway simulating a mountain railway for a plurality of toy vehicles comprising: a housing; an ascending track on said housing; a plurality of descending tracks on said housing and arranged in side-by-side relation; a plurality of reversing points also on said housing and interconnecting said tracks, at least two of said reversing points being arranged in side-by-side relation; and a stopping device for holding a vehicle at one of said two reversing points, said stopping device including means for releasing the vehicle held at said one reversing point upon the presence of another vehicle at the other of said two reversing points.

2. The toy runway recited in claim 1 in which said one reversing point is at a lower level than said other reversing point and in which said stopping device is a lever pivotally supported under said housing and having a pair of arms, one of said arms projecting into said one reversing point to engage a vehicle thereon and the other of said arms projecting into said other reversing point for engagement by a vehicle thereon to pivot said lever to a release position.

3. The toy runway recited in claim 2 in which said one arm is retained by gravity in a normally depressed position.

4. The toy runway recited in claim 1 including further a plate hingedly connected to said housing, said plate having formed therein a run-in track, a run-out 4 track and a reversing point, and means for holding said plate inclined toward the lowermost portions of said ascending and descending tracks.

5. A toy runway simulating a mountain railway for toy motor vehicles comprising: a housing; an ascending track formed in said housing and having a rack section therein to provide driving traction for the vehicles; a plurality of descending tracks formed in said housing; a plate hinged to said housing for movement between storage and use positions and having run-in and run-out tracks formed therein, said run-in and said run-out tracks being inclined during use toward the lowermost portion of said ascending and descending tracks respectively; a plurality of reversing points connecting adjacent ends of said tracks to form a closed track system; and a vehicle stopping device defined by a lever pivotally supported under said housing, said lever having two arms, one arm of which extends through said housing to engage and stop a vehicle, the other arm of which extends through said housing to be engaged by another vehicle and effect releace of the stopped vehicle.

DAgostino May 26, 1914 Nolan June 30, 1925 

